Revenge
by hpjkrowling4ever
Summary: Threeshot. Cassandra has just been told that her mother is dead. Draco Malfoy takes her in, and she goes on a journey to discover what family really is and that to find peace, she must confront the demons tormenting her. Established relationship (HPDM), not canon and and includes OCs. COMPLETE
1. Their Secret

_A/N: TWOSHOT! I'm having a bit of a writer's block in Moondance at the moment, so I decided to write a fic about Harry and Draco together from someone else's POV. It occasionally involves the POV from someone else other than Cassandra, as you will see in the second shot. Established relationship._

_Warning: Hints of abuse, nothing too graphic. Homosexual relationship for the squeamish but nothing too drastic, just kissing, hugging maybe some groping but remember that this is from someone else's POV. _

_Disclaimer: None of these belong to me –well, the plot of the fic is mine but the characters belong to JK Rowling, Warner Bros and any other corporation with the license to use Harry Potter. I repeat: __**I DO NOT OWN**__._

**Title:** Revenge

**Author:** hpjkrowling4ever

Cassandra. Cassie. Sandra. Sandy. She was the one girl in her year in Hogwarts who had four names. Four different personalities. Every clique in her year knew her as a different person. Marley and her girls knew her as Sandra. Clemmy and her friends knew her as Cassie. Gloria and her mates knew her as Sandy. Everyone else knew her as Cassandra. Only one person knew her as Cass and only that person, and now that person was gone.

Cassandra put her head in her hands; the tears running freely down her face. Killed by _Avada Kadavra_, the Aurors told her. It was a painless death, they said, she didn't feel anything. It didn't stop her from thinking that whatever the death was, it had killed her mother and she wouldn't be coming back.

She wouldn't be saying, "I love you."

She wouldn't be saying, "I'm here now, the nightmares can leave you."

She wouldn't be saying, "Breathe. We've got each other and that's what matters."

Because now they didn't have each other and never would again. Choking back a sob, Cassandra looked up at the Auror dressed in the regal purple robes and felt very, very alone.

"What are you going to do with me?"

The Auror coughed uncomfortably and shifted to the side in his chair.

"That's not my decision to make."

"It's mine." A deep, rich, eloquent voice rang out, echoing around the small interview room and making the Auror jump up and bow his head. Cassandra turned around curiously.

A tall, well-built man dressed completely in black stood in the doorway. His hood was drawn completely over his face and his robes made almost no sound as he moved towards them. The Auror who had previously been interviewing Cassandra hurried out of the room at a quick twitch of the black-robed individual's hand.

"Cassandra St. Claire. What an interesting name to own." The man sat down on the chair in front of her and despite her grief, Cassandra felt an overwhelming sense of curiosity.

"Are you an Unspeakable?"

The man coughed delicately.

"I never will belong to that rowdy group of individuals." The man took out a black folder with a gold eagle and a snake insignia on the cover from the folds of his robes. "I doubt that your elementary education in Hogwarts has taught you about the Gold Corps."

"No, sir."

"I thought not." The man sighed. "The unfortunate death of your mother was because she was on one of our missions, tracking down this man."

The man opened the folder to show her a picture of a rather angry looking bearded man. Cassandra frowned –she knew that man. She knew him very well. He was her father.

* * *

"Cassandra! What have I told you about leaving your socks on the floor? Get here now!"

Cassandra's head reared up from her Arithmancy homework and she raced to her room, her heart beating fast. She burst into her room, and ran straight into her father's chest.

"I'm sorry! It won't happen again, I promise you."

"No, it won't. I'll make sure of that, young lady. Follow me." He ordered, and panic overtook Cassandra.

"No! No, Father, please! I swear! I'm sorry!" she yelled, falling to the ground in front of him, begging him not to do what he was about to.

"I've told you more than three times, young lady. You know what happens after three times."

"Please, Father, please! I'll do _anything_, just don't!"

Her mother, hearing the shouts, raced out of the kitchen and pelted up the stairs.

"Jeremy! Jeremy, you know it's her room and we give her the freedom she needs in there." Her mum put a dainty hand on her father's arm, but her shook her off and slapped her cheek. Her mum gasped and collapsed against the wall.

"Father! Please!"

* * *

Cassandra gasped and reared back in her chair, the tears falling faster down her face. Her breath was coming in short gasps and she slid to the floor. The man moved around and took her hand gently, slowly and helped her back into her chair.

"Did he abuse you?"

"Hitting, slapping, punching, kicking, pinching –he did them all. Verbal abuse as well. We couldn't fight back. He threatened me with Mum and Mum with me." Cassandra shivered, remembering the fear-filled days of her childhood, the heart-wrenching agony she felt when she left for Hogwarts, leaving her mother to her father's moods. She learnt too soon the need to hide. No one needed to know who she was.

"You're sixteen now, when did he first start?"

"Seven, Mum could only protect me so much." The tears fell faster, remembering how much her mother did to save her from her father's rages.

"When did your father leave?"

"Fourteen."

The man leant back in his chair.

"Your mother worked for the Gold Corps." He sighed. "We are the most secret department in the Ministry. We're an extension of the Aurors, except that we dabble in Dark Arts and chase the most vicious, the most dangerous criminals in the Wizarding World."

"Who are you?"

"You'll find out." He leant forwards and only by observing his body language did Cassandra realise that he was earnest. "You're sixteen, you're underage. You have to stay somewhere. You can't stay with relatives, your father would track you down and kill you, like he did to your mother."

Cassandra pulled in a sharp breath.

"He _killed_ her? That can't be right! Even if her abused us, he loved Mum!"

"No. Your father dabbles in the darkest of the Dark Arts. Not as far as Horcruxes, that was the Dark Lord, but he dabbles in soul possessing. It's an obscure but violent branch of the Dark Arts. He worked the hardest in trying to possess your mother. When we accepted her into the Corps, a few years before she met him, she was a very different person. Sweet, kind, loving. When I hired her I was scared she wouldn't be able to cope with the weight of fighting with us. She did, but when she met your father she became more withdrawn and failed on missions she had previously succeeded on."

"Father was possessing her?"

"Yes. She was a valuable asset. She was part of the Gold Corps –everything he needed for his Dark Arts could be found with us. However, when you were born, she had frequent personality changes. She would be what she was when we hired her, but then turned into that sloppy person she had been made into by your father. You made her fight against his possession, and he resorted to violence to put your mother in her place. However, your mother was powerful enough to stop him and he left her, scared that we would finally be able to take him to Azkaban."

"Why didn't you stop him beforehand?"

"Your mother begged us not to, even though we were aware that he was dabbling in Dark Arts." He sighed again. "It was our biggest mistake, but then after he left her she was back to normal. She adored you and wouldn't stop talking about you. However, when we sent her on a routine mission yesterday, it turned into a violent mess and your father killed her."

The tears started flowing again and the man hesitantly put a black-gloved hand on hers. She looked up, startled, but the man had already withdrawn his hand.

"I have gained permission for you to stay with me in my home. It is the safest place for you while we attempt to dispose of your father as we cannot send you to your extended family for fear of endangering them."

"You want to kill him?"

"Your father is mad with the power the Dark Arts give him. We don't want another Dark Lord, young lady." He paused. "Would you like to come and stay in my house?"

Cassandra knew that she was beaten. If she refused, no one would take her in –and she couldn't put her family into danger. No, no, that was not an option. This man knew what he was talking about, but did he know her father?

"Sir, is it possible for me to help you find my father?"

"_You_ want to help _us_ find _your_ father?"

"Yes, sir. I'd like that very much." Cassandra looked defiantly up at the man. "If my mother could do it, then so can I."

* * *

Cassandra tumbled through the fire, and saw hundreds of fireplaces flash by, some open, some closed, but all of them rang of a home, a place to belong. She didn't have any anymore. On that thought, she stumbled through the grate, noticing that it was a rich gold, and was caught by a pair of strong arms. She glanced up and reared back in surprise –it was Teddy Lupin.

Teddy Lupin. Metamorphmagus. He was the most popular, the most gorgeous boy in her year. Everyone loved Teddy. His kindness extended to everyone and no one had ever had a complaint against Teddy, except those who looked for one and then they could only say that he defended his friends and his dead parents fiercely. But Cassandra had seen Teddy at his most vulnerable, when he had been sobbing his parents' loss in his second year, and had had a jar thrown at her for her trouble. She had never mentioned it again, but saw Teddy in a different light since then and respected him immensely. A thought suddenly struck her –wherever Teddy was, Harry Potter couldn't be far: he was Teddy's guardian.

"Teddy?" she asked, looking around once she was standing up.

She was standing by the most elaborate, magnificent fireplace she had ever seen in her life. It was made of pure marble and had scenes from the Battle of Hogwarts engraved around it. On the mantelpiece were numerous photographs and a large mirror stood haughtily behind the photos. Looking around the room, she saw plush sofas made of the softest material. The carpet was obviously an antique and the coffee table was made of polished wood. A stack of books sat in the middle. Various doors led out of the room.

"Hello, Cassandra." Teddy had always persisted in calling her Cassandra, even though he had had the choice of three other names. "I am incredibly sorry for your loss."

Too confused to dwell on his words, she mumbled out a 'thank you' before looking around her again.

"Why are you here?"

"Ah." Teddy scratched his now-black hair. Probably in deference to her loss –all of Hogwarts knew that his favourite hair colour was turquoise. "I guess that he didn't tell you then, did he?"

"Who, the man in black? No. I couldn't even see his face, let alone know how serious he was about anything."

There was a rush of air behind Cassandra and she jumped to the side, only to see the black robed man step elegantly out of the fireplace. She tilted her head to the side, interested to see him without his hood; surely he couldn't stay at his own house, hidden in his hood?

"What I am about to reveal to you must on no accounts leave this house. Is that clear, Cassandra?"

"Very, sir." She replied, burning with curiosity.

The man lowered his hood slowly and shrugged off his robe, revealing a neatly groomed head of the palest blond hair and a perfectly tailored suit. Lord Draco Abraxas Malfoy, leading businessman in the Wizarding World and ex-Death Eater. Divorced from Astoria Greengrass, but gained custody of their son, Scorpius Malfoy, four years younger than Cassandra, in his second year at Hogwarts. What she didn't understand, however, was why Teddy was in the same house as Draco Malfoy.

"Lord Malfoy!" she breathed, taking a step backwards, her eyes darting from Teddy to Lord Malfoy. Her eyes must have been wide with her shock, because Lord Malfoy burst out laughing. It was a soft but strong sound, polished to the highest degree.

"Surprised?" he asked.

"Of course she's surprised, Draco, you've just sprung something of a bombshell on her!"

At that moment, one of the wooden doors opened and a pale blond head much like Lord Malfoy's inserted itself into the room, followed by the rest of Scorpius Malfoy. The young boy was all long limbs, but unlike most boys his age, he managed to pull them off with elegance and grace.

"Father!" the boy raced in and threw himself at Lord Malfoy, a huge smile on his face. Cassandra felt the weight of surprise after surprise coming down on her; first, Lord Malfoy was the mysterious boss of the Gold Corps and second, his son, the icy Scorpius Malfoy was actually quite a warm person. As she was thinking this, he turned to look at her and she twitched slightly, realising that he was examining her thoroughly.

"Cassandra St. Claire. Hufflepuff. Sixth year. Mother, no father. Why is she here, Father?" Scorpius turned to look at Lord Malfoy, not noticing the tension in Cassandra's face when he had mentioned her mother.

"My mother is dead, Malfoy." She said bluntly. The young boy looked apologetic and then smiled wryly.

"My apologies, St. Claire. I didn't know." He turned back to his father. "I really, really want to go to Diagon Alley, Father! Can you bring me there?"

"What for, brat?" Lord Malfoy asked, smiling. Cassandra was surprised to hear such an affectionate term come from the impassive, stony businessman portrayed on the papers.

"I found a marvelously interesting book on Defensive spells I think would be great for a certain someone's Christmas present…" Scorpius grinned slyly at Lord Malfoy, who chuckled deeply.

"Maybe later. I cannot bring you there; I must get Miss St. Claire acquainted with the Manor –she will be staying with us for an extended period of time."

"Why don't I do that, Draco? Then you can bring this squirt to Diagon Alley. I've already got all the Christmas presents I need for everyone." Teddy smiled lopsidedly, and Lord Malfoy considered his proposition before nodding. Teddy whooped and turned to Cassandra. Just as he opened his mouth, the Floo flared again and dark blue robes fell through the fireplace, tripping over the grate and being caught in Lord Malfoy's arms.

"Quite an entrance you make, my love." He said softly, but Cassandra caught the endearment and she longed to see who the arrival was. She wasn't sure if it was a man or a woman and she almost craned her head forwards to see. However, Teddy had grabbed her and led her out of the room before she could see who it was.

* * *

"What do you think of it?" Teddy asked, from the centre of a very familiar room.

"Where did you get all my stuff from?" Cassandra asked, momentarily forgetting whom Lord Malfoy's mysterious partner could be in the shock of seeing all her posters, her clothes, her room's furniture and her accessories arranged exactly as if in her room at home. "Why does this look identical to my old room?"

"Your house is up for sale." Cassandra felt herself vacillating and grabbed onto a chair unsteadily. "All of the furniture, accessories, your mother's clothes and otherwise has been put into storage in the Ministry's Housing Department. Don't worry, it's free because your mother died serving the Wizarding World. However, they can't leave any trace of you or your mother on the house because your father, as the Ministry's Most Wanted, could track you down using tracking charms on your clothes. Thus, everything has had to be moved."

"They did it quickly." Cassandra noted, after the initial shock had worn off.

"Yes, the Department is very used to doing that. They have a specially trained branch for this sort of thing, and since we knew you were moving to our house, Draco just asked for it to be shadow-spelled over exactly how it was in your house. Simple."

"Who gets the money from the house? And what about my mother's accounts?"

"All under high security. Whoever the house is sold to will pay and Gringotts will transfer it to your mother's bank account, which will be unfrozen for you once your father has been caught. The Gold Corps are taking no risks with you."

"How do you know all this?" Cassandra asked, surprised to see carefree Teddy Lupin so serious.

"Draco briefed me on what had happened to you as well as what will now happen to you and what measures have been taken for your safety." Teddy sat down on a chair next to her. "I am genuinely sorry for your loss. I cannot imagine the pain you must be going through, having known your mother and then lost her."

Cassandra felt a sharp pinch in her chest, knowing that though she was in her old room, she was living a new life. The tears wouldn't come this time, and Cassandra sighed.

"Thank you for your concern. I really appreciate it." She smiled thinly. "However…I have some questions I'd love answered."

"I am not allowed to answer your questions. Wait until supper." Teddy grinned again. "I'll see you in an hour."

* * *

Supper was a very formal affair in Malfoy Manor, Cassandra realised. She had changed into one of her more comfortable clothes, but the others had changed into more formal clothing. The mysterious blue-robed person was not there at the start of dinner, so she pushed them to the back of her mind and tucked into a delicious meal of steak, broccoli and mashed potatoes seasoned with some herb she didn't recognise.

"Tell me, Cassandra, what do you do as your NEWTS? Teddy does Care of Magical Creatures, DADA, Potions and Transfiguration." Lord Malfoy asked between mouthfuls.

Cassandra coughed nervously.

"Well, I do Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, DADA and Charms."

Lord Malfoy chuckled to himself, but was interrupted by the door opening behind him. Cassandra looked up and almost fell off her chair in surprise.

Harry Potter. The most famous, the most respected and the most hounded person in the Wizarding World. Probably one of the richest as well. He was thought to be living in his flat, No. 12 Grimmauld Place with his godson, Edward Lupin, who was under his guardianship after the death of his grandmother Andromeda Tonks. But here he was, dressed in black jeans, a white shirt and a pale blue robe. His glasses were slightly askew on his nose and his hair was its trademark mess.

"Sorry I'm late." He grinned lopsidedly, much like his godson, and even though they weren't related, Cassandra could see some similarities between him and Teddy immediately.

Lord Malfoy stood up slowly and walked over to Mr. Potter. He circled him slowly, nodding to himself all along. Mr. Potter kept grinning, and a glance at Teddy and Scorpius showed that they were grinning as well. This was obviously a well-practiced ritual.

"Not too bad, though maybe blue jeans would be better with the blue robe. Overall, a good effort, Harry." Lord Malfoy smiled in satisfaction and with a bit of pride.

"I'm improving, aren't I?"

"Compared to the time you came to supper in the blue jeans, the yellow shirt and red robes, yes. Compared to me, no."

"I don't think anyone can compare to your dress sense and dramatic flair, Draco." Mr. Potter said petulantly, and then a sly look came to his face. "Tell me, do I get a reward for my effort?"

Lord Malfoy seemed to ponder the question, before leaning forwards and capturing Mr. Potter's lips in the softest kiss, barely a touch of the lips before they pulled away. Mr. Potter's eyes sparkled vividly as he sat down opposite Cassandra, whose mouth was open in shock and her fork was suspended in midair, frozen in its journey towards her mouth.

"Well, you look quite astounded, young lady." Mr. Potter said, tapping the table three times and his food appeared. "I'm Harry Potter, though I think you already know that. You can call me Harry; I'm not a stuck-up arse like dear Draco over there ("Harry!" Lord Malfoy growled) who insists on being called _Lord_. I assume you're Cassandra St. Claire, do you go by any other name?"

Cassandra shook herself and smiled politely back to Mr. Potter. She was acutely aware of the fact that she was living most of her classmates' fantasies by being so close to Mr. Potter and talking to him in person. The fact that he was so approachable shook her out of her daze a bit and she smiled back at Harry.

"Yes, I'm Cassandra. I go by numerous other names, but I don't mind you calling me Cassandra, sir."

"What did I say?" Harry's eyes narrowed in mock warning, and Cassandra smiled apologetically, still feeling rather confused. Diagonal from her, Scorpius started laughing.

"If you could see your face, St. Claire! Merlin, it's a sight worth seeing –the closed-off, multiple personality Miss St. Claire looks gobsmacked. Father, Uncle Harry, maybe it's a good idea to tell St. Claire about you two."

Harry caught on to Scorpius' hilarity and started laughing as well. Cassandra couldn't help feeling a sense of envy. Scorpius and Teddy had a _family_, somewhere to call _home_ and though their guardians had a very odd relationship that was strictly private as the press and the public didn't know about it, they had adults they could trust and whom they knew would support them. Cassandra had no one and she couldn't even go to her extended family for help or she'd be putting them in danger.

Across the table, she saw Harry glance at her while he was laughing and she realised that he hadn't missed her moment of weakness. She turned back to her meal and smiled, waiting for the explanation to come. Lord Malfoy waited for silence and then provided it.

"Harry and I…well…we had a less than friendly relationship when we were at school." Lord Malfoy stood up and walked towards his partner, standing behind Harry's chair and snaking his arms around Harry's shoulders, in a gesture Cassandra saw was filled with tenderness but spoke of being repeated hundreds, thousands of times before. Harry smiled up at Lord Malfoy, before turning back to his meal. "I thought that Harry was an uncouth, spoilt brat. It turns out that I was hopelessly far from the truth. Harry is the most wonderful man I've ever met in my life, albeit with a horrific dress sense and some reckless tendencies which are quite worrying."

Harry choked on his steak, and Lord Malfoy patted him soothingly on his back until his airway cleared. Scorpius sniggered into his food, and Teddy looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh.

"However, our relationship started due to our charming boys." Cassandra noticed that he didn't say 'sons' in deference, probably, to the fact that Teddy wasn't Harry's son. "They decided to become friends, much to our original chagrin. However, it turns out that it was the best decision they ever made because Harry supported me through my divorce, I supported him through the heartless attacks from the press and it soon became a relationship."

"But Father didn't want to give us a hard time at school and they didn't want to have all the backlash from the press, so they keep their relationship under very strict wraps. Everyone knows that Uncle Harry and Father are friends, but only Ron, Hermione, the other Weasleys, Blaise and Pansy know about their relationship." Scorpius said, nodding in gratitude to his parental figures. "But I basically grew up under Father and Uncle Harry." He looked stubbornly at Harry. "And of course Uncle Harry _won't_ let me call him Dad."

"And he won't let me do that either." Teddy said softly, in a tone that told Cassandra that there were many arguments underneath that statement. Harry glanced sharply at Teddy, confirming Cassandra's suspicion.

"_However_," Lord Malfoy said sharply, "We all have each other now and we love each other enough to survive what is thrown at us." Harry turned to Cassandra as Lord Malfoy said this and smiled at her.

"We'll try and help you as much a possible."

* * *

Weeks passed and nothing seemed to be happening in the Gold Corps concerning her father. Cassandra was told to remain in Malfoy Manor and not to go out. Scorpius and Teddy were very kind and remained inside with her and sometimes persuaded Harry or Lord Malfoy to allow her to go outside. Slowly, she forgot how famous, how powerful and influential her guardians were (they had had a solicitor come in and sign papers allowing her to remain under their guardianship) and had even come to call Lord Malfoy 'Draco'. Harry was a fascinating person to talk to and she would spend ages asking him about Defense spells. She found out that he worked privately as a spellmaker, which required an extensive knowledge of the theory of spells.

Wanting to help Draco track down her father, Cassandra had started going through everything she knew about her father. Post-it note after colourful post-it note went up on the wall depicting fact after fact about her father, things that she'd never even realised she'd known went up, along with the obvious information about his likes and dislikes. She had to do _something_ to avenge her mother's death, and to avenge her lost childhood.

One day, there was a knock at the door and Cassandra paused in her writing and turned to look at it. She then waved her wand beside her and the door opened to reveal Harry. He tilted his head to the side to observe her and then walked in, closing the door quietly behind him.

He looked at the post-its, his face betraying no emotion as he read through them all. He touched some, and ran his fingers along others, and sighed when he read some but he said not a word. Cassandra looked nervously at him.

"These are incredibly detailed, Cassandra." Harry said softly, sitting down on the floor beside Cassandra. "Why are you doing this?"

Cassandra shrugged. She had slowly been able to express more emotion and be more familiar around him and soon had managed to overcome her awe of him.

"I want to do something to help Draco. I'm extremely grateful to him for looking after me and allowing me to stay in his house, but I would like a part in capturing my father."

Harry tilted his head to the side and his hand came out to take her pen. He leant forwards and wrote in his well-known long, loopy script _"An eye for an eye would make the whole world blind –Mahatma Gandhi_" He then looked back up at her.

"Revenge is all very good in principle. If I took revenge on everyone who hurt me, the world would be lacking numerous reporters and Draco would probably be dead." He took another post-it and wrote down "_Those who plot the destruction of others often fall themselves_."

"I know! I know, but I'm so _mad_. I want to do something to him, _anything_ to get rid of him. He's my father and he killed my mother. What loyalty do I owe him? He abused me as a child." Cassandra curled in on herself and rocked herself backwards and forwards in a way she did when life got too much for her. She forgot that Harry was in the room and just _talked_.

"He was supposed to be my father! He was supposed to bring me to the zoo, the park, to the museum, to see my friends, to have snowball battles, to help me with my homework, to be there with my achievements. Instead he ruined me!" Tears started falling down Cassandra's face again and she vaguely registered that Harry had picked her up and lain her down on her bed and sat beside her.

"I was nothing, just an accident that had occurred in one of his experiments with my mother. Hell, if he could turn back time he would. But Mum," Cassandra curled in on herself, without realising that she had curled around Harry. "Mum loved me. She cherished me and tried to undo all Father had done to me. There was never any doubt that she loved me."

Cassandra was silent, and she barely heard the door to her room open and close again and certainly didn't hear Draco come into the room. She felt him sit down on her other side and uncurl her. She had realised early on in her stay in Malfoy Manor that Harry's and Draco's relationship was so well established that it was almost instinctual and they only had to share a glance before they knew a whole wealth of information. If she had been more coherent, she would have seen the quiet glance transferred across her.

"Shh, it's alright." Draco pulled her up into a sitting position and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight. She had also realised that Draco was a completely different person to the stony businessman and that he was an excellent comforter. She had, at first, been very reluctant to receive any comfort from him, but she had realised that he was a wonderful listener and Harry superb at giving advice. Thus, she buried her head in his perfect robes and felt Harry hug her from behind.

"It's not alright." Cassandra mumbled into Draco's shirt. He pulled her back and completely ignored the wet stain on his shoulder, instead brushing the hair out of her eyes.

"I always used to do that with Scorp or Teds when they were younger. I would tell them that their hair would stop them seeing the full picture. Teds always used to make his hair become shorter, and I would find that hilarious." Cassandra gave him a watery smile, but it was soon wiped away.

"I just…" _Just_, the excuse word. "I wish I had had a childhood like Teddy's or Scorpius'. I mean, I wouldn't take away my mother for the world, but I wish I had the security and the stories that they tell me or you tell me about them. You've all managed to wrap your lives around each other and…and I wish I had something like that."

"You know what we've told you, Cassandra."

She scowled.

"It'd be too much to ask."

Harry snorted from behind her.

"Too much? Cassandra, you _live_ with us. Soon you'll be getting Christmas presents from us as well. Don't tell me you don't feel comfortable here –you do. Adopting you would be a further step to securing you a safe place. Your objections are silly, unless all you want to do is get away from us."

"I don't." Cassandra muttered, burying her head on Draco's shoulder again. "I just want my father gone, and then I can be safe. Please." She looked up into Draco's eyes. "Please, I _beg_ you, Draco, please let me help you."

* * *

Cassandra tiptoed towards Draco and Harry's room, where she knew Draco and Harry would be having a conversation about her request. She peeked around the door. Harry was standing by the fireplace, and Draco was pacing in front of him, his robes billowing around him in an intimidating fashion.

After a while of this, Harry moved from his place and interrupted Draco's walking. He slowly, gently, carefully, took off Draco's outer robe, revealing his shirt and trousers, and wrapped his arms around his partner's waist. Leaning his head against Draco's shoulder, one of Harry's hands traced its' way up to his heart, where it rested. Draco seemed to calm down and placed a kiss on Harry's head.

"I don't want her to be hurt." He murmured softly, making Cassandra strain to hear him.

"I know, love. I don't either. But you and I know that the only way she'll find peace is to find her father and confront him." Harry looked back up, his hand still on Draco's heart. "You know how it is, my love. You and I keep enough secrets to know how this one must be weighing down on her. She needs justice. If not for her, then for her mother."

Draco's hand made its' way to Harry's and squeezed it softly. He closed his eyes and fell to the floor, Harry catching him as he fell. As they knelt on the floor, Draco with his eyes closed and Harry watching him with a very tender look, Cassandra realised what _true_ love was. Not the vicious, passionate lust her father had had for her mother, not the destructive bonfire but a quiet, gentle flame with enough heat to keep burning for a very, very long time.

She turned back to Harry and Draco, to see Harry tracing Draco's cheek with his other hand and carefully coming closer to his mouth.

"She's come to us hurt and bruised. This started as a necessity you complained about; something you have to do with every case like this –abusive father killing mother and you taking care of the child. But this time, you've fallen for her. I think she reminded you of your childhood."

Draco nodded shakily, and Cassandra was shocked to see tears falling down his face. Harry's thumb caught all of them.

"Your father dabbling in his Dark Arts, and slowly sapping the life from your mother and trying to make you like him."

"Yes," Draco breathed, looking earnestly up at Harry. "It destroyed my childhood. Only later did they come to love each other, but there was a huge chasm between their understanding. And you managed to see my pain and you were there to put the pieces back together."

"You want to do the same with her, don't you?" Harry murmured. "I do, as well. I've come to love her. Like you and I very quietly adopting Teddy and Scorpius as our sons and having that marriage ceremony in complete privacy, you want to adopt her as well."

"I want her to know that she can have a safe home with us."

Cassandra felt the tears on her face mimic Draco's tears.

"And she can, but only once she has peace. And you can only give her that peace by letting her take on her father, Draco."

Finally defeated, Draco bowed his head and nodded. Harry lifted it up and captured it in a powerful kiss filled with passion and thanks but always, always with that underlying level of love.

Cassandra left quietly, unwilling to disturb them, but knowing that she had a reason to be doing something now.

She had to bring justice to her mother's soul. She had to take revenge for her father's heinous murder.

But a little part of her, the child who still loved her father, cried out in pain.

* * *

_A/N: I will finish this this week, after all, it's only a twoshot, but I desperately need to get back into the Harry Potter mood. I've just been reading a really good series which has NOTHING to do with Harry Potter. I had to write something from someone else's POV. AND this is my longest chapter of a fic so far! Please review and for those of you following Moondance, I HAVE NOT ABANDONED IT, I just said that I was having two weeks away from it but now I need to get back into the swing so I'm lowering myself into it gently._

_And any of you who have comments on how Harry and Draco are not canon or are OOC, then tough. It's an established relationship and you become more comfortable with each other that way. And if you've been abused as a child, trust me I've read books and watched documentaries, you either have a huge aversion to human contact or you crave it. Cassandra longs for someone to love her._

_Please review, it is much appreciated._

_hpjkrowling4ever_


	2. Her Secret

_A/N: Hi, I'm back with the final shot of my two-shot. I know that it's not canon at all but I had to write something like this. And it's not like other authors don't do it as well. Without further ado, I'm back. BTW, I'm not putting up another disclaimer because it's in the first shot._

**Title:** Revenge

**Author:** hpjkrowling4ever

If you were approaching Malfoy Manor from the foreboding woods surrounding it, you would long to flee back towards the terrible forest instead of going near the Manor. It stood proudly, haughtily defying anyone to dare to come nearer, framed by the sky in all its might. For those who could feel magic, the currents around the house were vibrating with hidden power and spells interwoven throughout the centuries into the giant web of protections. Huge black gates soared up, spikes extending forwards and the gargoyles on the stone pillars glaring resentfully at the intruder. An even more intimidating stone wall surrounded the Manor, but one could clearly see the ornate windows and the incredibly well-made structure that was Malfoy Manor.

Ron swallowed nervously and hesitantly tapped the gate twice, glancing back down at the letter he held in his hands for support. Suddenly, a gargoyle moved beside him and opened its' jaws wide. Ron jumped back skittishly and held out his wand.

"Announce your intentions." It rasped in a sandy voice.

"To see the master of the Manor on important business to do with the Ministry of Magic." Ron said, proud that his voice didn't waver once. The gargoyle clicked back into place and Ron was left standing in the snow awkwardly and nervously until, almost at once, the gates flew open violently. Ron almost fell over in his eagerness to enter the grounds and ran past the gates thankfully. He looked around him and stopped dead.

He was in a _completely_ different place to the intimidating place outside the gates. Neat hedgerows and stunning ponds with merrily trickling waterfalls were dotted around the enormous grounds. An idyllic layer of snow lay on top of everything, and Ron could vaguely see a Quidditch pitch when he looked to his right. The grass shone brightly and the snowdrops stood majestically, defying anyone to cut them down. And the sky shone with the setting sun. Ron himself stood on a long path with smooth silver stones, leading up to a gorgeous mahogany double door. As he looked at the door, he realised with surprise that the Manor sent out a completely different feeling then it had outside the gates. The windows shone brightly, welcomingly and the gorgeous curtains he could see through the windows let off a soothing feeling to Ron. He walked with renewed vigour towards the door, but was suddenly interrupted when he heard a sound to his left. Whirling around, his wand held aloft, Ron sighed in relief when he saw a young girl walking towards him, and not a terrifying monster which would go well with the outside of the Manor.

The girl was wearing black jeans and a white shirt with incredibly detailed patterns of phoenixes, a long, to-the-floor black coat, polished, shining black leather boots, and was holding a black wand in one hand and a posy of snowdrops in the other. Her long, wavy black hair was tumbling down her shoulders to her chest, and her dark violet eyes registered surprise at Ron's arrival. She stopped dead in a few metres away from him.

Having never seen this girl before, Ron himself was shocked and his mouth fell open. Harry hadn't told him about a _girl_ when he had invited him to Malfoy Manor. Ron was already shocked that Harry was together, in a _relationship_, with their childhood nemesis, and then being at their wedding ceremony, and then being a witness to Teddy and Scorpius' adoptions, that he wasn't sure he could deal with another adoption. However, he remembered that Malfoy's job as a member of the highly esteemed Gold Corps sometimes involved him taking in wards. Thinking that, he'd never seen one look so _comfortable_ in the Malfoy Manor grounds.

"Who are you?" they asked at exactly the same time. She smiled softly, and Ron warmed to her. It was an unsure smile, one that spoke of a deep lack of self-confidence, and Ron saw how she shielded her face with her long hair. Having trained with the Aurors and then been transferred to the branch dealing with child abuse of the Department, Ron instinctively noticed that she was holding herself tensely, ready to bolt at any sign of aggression. It had taken him a long, long time to become this sensitive to other people's body language, and it was only with Harry and Hermione's help that he had come close. Hermione with her endless logic and Harry with his neglect and abuse in his past life. He had come to many conclusions about Harry he had never wanted to ever, ever draw on his best friend. But he was digressing.

"I am Ronald Weasley, a colleague of Lord Malfoy's." He said slowly, carefully, as if he was talking to a wild, nervy horse he wished to calm. He lowered his wand gently and saw her relax minutely. He also wasn't sure whether or not she knew about Malfoy and Harry's relationship and so decided to play very safe.

"Mr. Weasley." She nodded her head politely and put her wand back into her coat pocket, but did not let go of it. "I am Cassandra St. Claire. Would you like me to accompany you into the house?" she asked him politely, with stiff pureblood manners. Ron's head swam with quick conclusions and deduced that it was most likely an abusive pureblood father who had beaten in pureblood manners to her.

"With pleasure, but only if I am not interrupting your walk, Miss St. Claire." Ron smiled reassuringly at her. She walked steadily towards him and Ron admired her courage. Normally it took a very long time for formerly abused children to accept any offers from strangers. Something was missing –she looked like she had been recovering for a while from the remnants of abuse.

"Not at all, Mr. Weasley." They started walking, and Ron found that she had relaxed further, and her hair was now thrown behind her back and her hand had let go of her wand. Recovered _too_ quickly, Ron deduced.

"Are you a ward of Lord Malfoy's?" he asked, looking down the path and finding it very long. Conversation would be an easy way to make it go faster.

"Currently, I am," she smiled to herself. "He has been very accommodating towards me." Ron saw a sideways glance thrown at him.

"Lord Malfoy is very kind to his wards."

"Indeed." She stopped abruptly and turned to the side, cocking her head. A wide grin came over her face, and she turned her back to Ron. "Here I am!" she shouted, cupping her mouth with her hands. Ron looked curiously around her and saw young Scorpius running at full pelt towards her. He winced –his experience with abusive children included them being very skittish with physical contact, and the way Scorpius was running, Ron doubted very much that he was stopping any time soon.

However, to his surprise, she knelt down to absorb Scorpius' impact as he threw his arms around her.

"There you are! Ted and I have been looking for you for ages. He wants to play a game of Quidditch so he sent me off to find you." He then caught sight of Ron and detached himself from Cassandra.

"Ron!" he cried out, turning to him and shaking his hand vigorously. Ron felt very satisfied; it had taken him a very long time to gain the young Malfoy's trust enough for him to go as far as shaking his hands. "I didn't know you were coming, Father didn't tell me and nor did Uncle Harry." Ron's heart almost stopped and he shot a glance at Cassandra, but she didn't look surprised at what Scorpius had said. That was unusual. Ron frowned. Harry normally never showed himself to Malfoy's wards.

"Hey you," Ron shook his hand vigorously back, and then ruffled Scorpius' hair. Looking disgruntled, he started rearranging it. Behind Scorpius, Cassandra stood up and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Scorp." She murmured, and Ron raised his eyebrow very high. He had missed out _a lot_ while he was away with Hermione in Scotland, visiting the security regulations at Hogwarts. "Let's go in."

Scorpius stopped patting his hair without a murmur, and bounded forwards, intent on reaching the doors into the Manor. Ron found himself walking next to Cassandra again.

"So you know about Mr. Potter and Lord Malfoy?" he asked tentatively.

"Yes, I do." She smiled brightly, and Ron was surprised at the sudden openness in her expression. "They're charming together. They're so lucky to have found each other." She said wistfully, almost to herself, and Ron came to a few more conclusions.

Soon, they had reached the door, which opened as soon as Cassandra touched it. Ron's eyebrows had nearly disappeared into his hairline by then –Malfoy's wards had certainly never been given the ability to open the Manor's doors. Not that he knew this very well –all his information on the Manor came from Harry. He had certainly never needed to come back to this place full of hideous memories since the end of the Battle of Hogwarts. However, he was willing to admit that he had changed.

"Ron!" there was a shout from inside and he saw his best mate run towards him and hug him briefly but tightly. Behind Harry, Ron saw Malfoy approach. Almost casually, Malfoy's hand wrapped itself around Harry's waist, and Ron was almost certain that is was unconscious. He had never seen a couple so desperate to constantly be touching each other.

"Malfoy." He nodded curtly.

"Weasley." Malfoy nodded sharply back. "You have important news for us?" he asked, letting it be known that whatever Ron had to say, he would be there with Harry and would hear it as well.

"Yes, maybe in your study, Malfoy?" he asked. He saw that Cassandra and Scorpius had disappeared, and was astonished at their perceptiveness.

"Why not?" Malfoy replied, and turned himself and Harry around, expecting Ron to follow.

All the way to Malfoy's study, Ron saw how Malfoy still held Harry tightly, possessively, and how Harry seemed to melt into it. He saw the perfect trust Harry had in Malfoy, more so than he had ever had in Ron and Hermione, Ron knew that now. Just like Hermione came first to Ron, Malfoy came first to Harry. He saw how Malfoy tilted his head to listen to anything Harry said, and how when Harry said something that was obviously amusing to Malfoy, Malfoy smirked in amusement and that was enough for Harry.

They reached the study after quite a long walk, Ron admiring the change in décor and the warmness of the Manor. Ron sat down on a chair opposite Harry and Malfoy's sofa. Harry lay down with his head on Malfoy's lap and his feet on the armrest and his eyes closed. Ron knew that this was his way of concentrating, and spoke.

"Who is that ward of yours, Malfoy?"

He saw Harry's eyes shoot open, and his best mate glanced quickly at Malfoy. It was a look full of meaning, and Ron knew that Malfoy had understood the meaning. More looks passed between them, silently, and Malfoy turned back to Ron, and Harry closed his eyes again.

"Her father is currently the Ministry's most wanted wizard."

Ron burst from his chair, rage thrumming through his veins. His wand was suddenly in his hands and was shooting violent red sparks. Visions of burnt villages, destroyed families and ruined homes flashed through his mind and he snarled furiously. His change from relaxed to furious had obviously alarmed Malfoy, who sat up straighter and touched his wand.

"How could you have _his_ _daughter_ in your house?" Ron forgot his original acceptance of Cassandra, and fury thrummed through his veins. "Do you _know_ about the horror 'Mione and I have been through?"

Harry was standing up in seconds, and his hand was on Ron's shoulder. It was comforting but it was also a warning at the same time.

"Do you judge me for being brought up by the Dursleys?" Harry asked quietly. Ron saw Malfoy move out of the corner of his eye and Harry's hand was gone in seconds. Ron turned to see Harry wrapped in Malfoy's embrace and Malfoy shooting vicious dagger-like glares at Ron.

"Of course I don't Harry, but the Dursleys didn't _kill_ anyone or dabble in Dark Arts." Ron said weakly.

"What he did to Cassandra was worse than you could ever begin to imagine in your weak mind, _Weasel_." Malfoy snapped furiously. Ron could tell that he had really hit a nerve.

"Don't call him that, Draco." Harry murmured softly, still in Malfoy's arms. Ron saw them tighten strongly around Harry.

"I'll call him _whatever _I want when he offends you, my love." Malfoy replied tenderly. Ron almost cursed himself for putting 'tender' and 'Malfoy' in the same sentence.

"He _possessed_ Cassandra's mother. He hit her, abused her, gave her _no _privacy, _no _security. Her mother fought tooth and nail, often losing both in the process, to defend her daughter and died doing the same. She died fighting the man from coming into the village where she lived." Malfoy shook his head sadly. "We told Cassandra she died fighting him on a routine mission gone wrong, but she actually died trying to stop him from entering the village and selling his daughter as a slave. You can imagine what type of slave, Weasel." Malfoy hurled the old name at Ron, who was wincing at what Malfoy told him. "So don't you _dare_ insult her or judge her for her father's mistakes. They're not hers."

Ron sat back down on his chair heavily. Harry extricated himself from his husband's embrace and knelt down in front of Ron.

"What did you and Hermione see, Ron?"

"Death, Harry. Destruction like the one when Voldemort was still in power." Ron looked at Harry and Harry could almost see the flames. "We Apparated to the wrong coordinates, 'Mione and I."

Draco grabbed Harry's hand and pointed his wand at Ron's forehead.

"_Legilimens_!"

* * *

Flames. Fire. Ron couldn't remember such violence since the Fiendfyre that had destroyed the Room of Requirement during the Battle of Hogwarts. He and Hermione stepped back in horror, and he crouched down instinctively, all of his Auror training kicking into gear. This was wizard's work, not a simple gas leak.

He heard heart-wrenching cries of agony come from the houses around him, and wondered why no one else was coming to help this village. He turned to look at his wife, and saw that her eyes were filled with furious tears.

"Who is doing this?" she whispered in horror.

In between the haze of heat, Ron caught sight of a man dressed in black, his head thrown back, laughing. Ron tugged at Hermione's hand and she caught sight of the man as well. Slowly, they made their way towards him and to their absolute disgust, they saw him torturing a young child, while the child's parents watched and were helpless.

"No one will remember this village!" the man cackled madly. Hermione whispered 'Dark Arts overdose' into Ron's ear, and he nodded back. He had already sent a Patronus to the Auror Department, begging them for any sort of help, to salvage anything from this forsaken village.

Hermione was tugging at his hand again, and he looked where she was looking, and saw some untouched houses. About ten, he surmised, but knew that this violent magical fire would spread.

"Remember who I am. Don't forget me." The man was mumbling madly. Ron saw that he was so far into Dark Arts that he probably wouldn't be able to recognise his mother.

Hermione leant towards him and practically shoved her mouth into his ear.

"No Horcruxes." She whispered. "Not yet."

"How do you know?" he asked back, almost inaudibly.

"Voice still steady and normal for a man his age." She replied. "Voldemort's was high-pitched and sometimes wavered when he laughed."

Ron took Hermione's words to heart and turned back to the scene, only to see the child coughing up blood and convulsing on the ground with the remains of Cruciatus. A streak of righteous anger flowed through him and Ron almost stood up, only to be pulled down by Hermione, who was glaring at him with the strength of the flames burning behind her.

"Do you want to be _killed_, you fool?" she hissed.

Ron shook his head shakily and winced further when he heard another heart-wrenching scream from where the man was torturing the girl, but this time he had turned to her mother.

"You fools, you think you can resist me?" he asked. "I am invincible!"

* * *

"The Aurors came twenty minutes later, and managed to save the rest of the village, but he escaped us. He had anti-Apparition wards all around the village that only he could Apparate through." Ron shook his head. "Here is a letter from the Auror Department for you, Harry."

With shaking hands, Harry took the letter and scanned through it quickly. After a moment, it fell to the ground and Harry's hand hung limply in the air. Malfoy snatched it from the ground, and scanned it faster than Harry had. Ron sighed. He knew what the letter contained off by heart.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_The Auror Department requests your extensive knowledge of defensive spells to aid us in defeating the current threat to the stability the Wizarding World owes you for. We currently have a good idea of the whereabouts of the criminal, and we will send you over with the number of men you so wish._

_We look forward to seeing you join us tomorrow evening._

_Yours respectfully,_

_The Auror Department_

"They can't do that!" Malfoy burst out, helping Harry to his feet. "They can't just _demand_ Harry's services like that. He's a spell maker, by Merlin, not someone to call on the minute no one can do anything about it!"

Ron stood up and faced Harry. He was currently furious that the Head Auror was subjecting Harry to this –it wasn't Harry's job anymore.

"Harry," Ron started, but Harry lifted a hand to cut him off.

"What I saw in your memories, Ron, is not unlike what we _all_ went through in the Second Wizarding War." Harry paused, and turned to Malfoy, putting his hand on Malfoy's heart. Malfoy's other hand crept up to clench Harry's hand tightly. "I love you, Draco, but you can't pull rank here. The Auror Department has every right to overrule the Gold Corps."

"Not when you're involved, they're not!" Malfoy whispered fiercely, and for a moment Ron felt a pang of pity for him. "At least let me fight this battle with you, Harry."

They both seem to have forgotten that Ron was there, and he, for once, was glad of that. He was seeing how their relationship truly worked, and he felt closer to Harry, seeing this happen.

"No!" Harry replied equally fiercely. "No, Draco. I can't let you fight my battle for me or with me. I'm risking myself, but I'm not risking you."

"You're bringing Cassandra with you, Harry, remember."

"Shit." Harry paused. "If something bad happens, love, you've got to remember that Scorp and Ted won't have anyone to help them."

Malfoy immediately pulled Harry into a ferocious kiss; Ron had to look away, not because it disgusted him but because it was so private, so strong. He turned back and saw that Harry was gasping for breath and Malfoy still had a determined light to his eyes.

"Don't you _dare_ say you're going to die. Or that Cassandra will. Please, I love you too much to let you go, Harry." Malfoy pulled Harry to him, and Ron could have sworn that there were no spaces in between their bodies. "I'm coming with you, whether you like it or not. And I'll make sure you won't die, Harry."

Ron winced. His experiences with disobeying Harry had never ended well.

"What about Teddy and Scorp?" Harry asked weakly, and Malfoy brought up a hand to rub his temples. Suddenly Harry seemed to have an idea. His arm wrapped around Malfoy's waist and he put his head on Malfoy's shoulder. Malfoy looked down at him in confusion.

"I can't leave Scorp and Teddy, Draco. If something happened to us, I couldn't trust anyone else to bring them up. I love them too much to leave them to someone I think won't love one as much as the other. But I love you too, Dray." Harry's voice dropped at the nickname, and Ron felt like he was witnessing something incredibly intimate, like if that name was never used with anyone else. And it had the same effect on Malfoy, whose hands clenched on Harry's waist and whose breath caught.

"You want me to go."

Ron sucked in a breath. He knew what that would mean. Harry was risking his husband's, his lover's, his most treasured person's life.

"No!" Harry's head shot up so fast his neck clicked. "No! No, never! I don't _want _you to go, Draco." Malfoy sighed in relief. "No, love. But I'm stuck. We can't both go, and you know how much I would be risking if I went. No, you should go. Fight Cassandra's battle with her. After all, it's similar to your battle you had to fight. And I'll wait for you when you come back and when the press wants to praise you. You will deserve it, my love."

"Don't jinx it, Harry." Malfoy breathed. "Right, I'll go."

Ron stepped forwards.

"Let me brief you."

* * *

Cassandra put on the leather coat with shaking hands. She knew the leather coat contained many spells able to block most jinxes and a number of hexes and only the most commonly used curses. Behind her, Teddy was casting spell after spell on her wand to detect any fallibility in it. His hands were shaking as well, and Scorpius hadn't even made an appearance. She knew how much they were risking, letting Draco go instead of Harry and she wished that only she could go, but the Ministry had demanded Harry. But Draco was going instead.

As she tied up her hair in a bun, she realised that she had grown to love the four people she lived with. She had grown into herself and was more confident in whom she was and what she was in the world for. Teddy and Scorpius had made her feel wanted, feel loved and she saw them as brothers and people she could care for. She remembered vividly her first meeting with the Weasley family, where she had the first experience of family, acceptance and to a certain extent, jealousy.

* * *

"Molly!" Harry smiled widely and embraced the short, plump, motherly looking woman with vivid red hair.

"Harry, how are you? And Scorpius, you're looking so well! Teddy, my, how you've grown and how handsome you look!" Mrs. Weasley hugged both of them and stopped in front of Draco. She shook his hand violently, with a wide smile on her face, but Cassandra could see that they were not as close, but warmed to Mrs. Weasley anyway for her acceptance of Scorpius even though she didn't like his father as much. "Mr. Malfoy, how good to see you, it's been a very long time since I did." She stopped in front of Cassandra, and Cassandra felt nervous. Her hands were shaking, and her hair was down in front of her face, as it was always when she met new people. "And who is this, Mr. Malfoy, Harry? You don't usually bring your wards to see us, Mr. Malfoy."

By then, a hoard of redheaded and some blond-headed Weasley children had dragged off Scorpius and Teddy. Mrs. Weasley was looking expectantly at Draco and Harry, but realising that they wouldn't say anything outside, led them into the mismatched but standing house.

The house was the complete opposite of the Manor in looks. It was small, with bits and pieces all over the place, but it emanated the same sense of _home_ and _life_, which was so essential to a good, stable family. Cassandra was led, along with Harry and Draco, into a small kitchen crowded with succulent smells and other people from the family, who all stood up when Harry and Draco entered. She could feel their gazes on her, and she hid further behind her hair, remembering the shouts of her father in her head as she did so. Gaining more self-confidence didn't mean that she was _completely_ comfortable with new situations and new people yet.

"And who are you?" asked a gorgeous silvery-haired woman gently. Her accent had a trace of a French one, and unlike most of the other people in the room, held herself with more grace and poise. Cassandra warmed to the woman, who sounded a lot like her mother.

"Cass-Cassandra." She stuttered nervously. The woman walked towards her, and took her hand. Cassandra held back the flinch with a conscious effort.

"I'm Fleur Weasley. Married to that rogue over zere." She pointed to a man with a red beard and a mildly scarred face. Cassandra stepped back immediately, and almost dragged Fleur with her. Fear pumped through her as she saw her father's face in the man's face. Immediately, she saw Harry block her view of him and hug her, gently rocking her from side to side. She could feel Draco hovering beside her.

"Sorry, sorry." She extricated herself from Harry's embrace and approached Fleur again. The woman smiled understandingly at her, and Cassandra forced herself to look straight at the man. "I'm really sorry. You scared me for a moment."

"It's alright." He had a strong, rough voice, unlike her father's smooth, deep voice and she relaxed. "I'm Bill Weasley, but I won't shake your hand."

She shivered unconsciously, and nodded towards him. One by one, she was introduced to Angelina, George with one ear and a jolly smile but haunted eyes, Charlie, Percy, Audrey, Ginny, who nodded briefly at her and gave a strong glare in Draco's direction, Ginny's fiancé Dean Thomas, who merely wrapped an arm around her waist, and Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley's husband. Once they were all seated again, with Harry, Draco and her still standing, Mr. Weasley having disappeared to find chairs, Harry asked where Ron and Hermione were.

"Oh, they're off to Hogwarts to check on security regulations and shouldn't be back for another few weeks."

Soon after, she was sent out to find the other children, and she set out to explore the grounds around the Burrow.

The first person she saw was Victoire Weasley. The girl was effortlessly gorgeous, dressed in practical but fashionable jeans completely in season, and a top, which showed her off to perfection. Her blonde hair was artistically styled but her eyes were narrowed when she caught sight of Cassandra. Before any of the other children saw her, she was already striding towards Cassandra and had dragged her off to a small shed beside the house.

"What are you intentions towards Teddy?" she asked strongly, still gripping Cassandra's wrist tightly.

All this, and the still tight grip on her hand, made Cassandra scream out, and snatch her hand away viciously, images of her father flashing through her mind vividly and strongly. Combined with seeing Bill Weasley and trying to control her fear, made Cassandra fall to the floor and huddle in on herself. She was aware of the door crashing open and Teddy racing in, helping her up into a sitting position and calling for Scorpius to get Harry or Draco. Soon, Harry and Draco were both there, looking worriedly at her as she cried softly, used to not crying loudly. When she was finally back to being herself, she saw Harry kneeling in front of her, Teddy still rocking her, and Draco standing over them protectively, with Scorpius looking on worriedly. Her family, or what she had come to think of as her family. She also saw Victoire hovering nearby, and a flash of fear ran through her again as she remembered the girl's aggressive words.

"What happened?" Harry asked her quietly. Cassandra shook her head. She wouldn't snitch, it would only aggravate her situation further, and she knew that if Harry and Draco were to adopt her, she would have to deal with Victoire. However, Teddy spoke instead.

"She was in here with Vicky when I entered after hearing her scream. Vicky, what did you do?" he addressed Victoire sternly, and she walked closer. Cassandra tried not to shrink backwards, but instead put on her Hogwarts mask that Victoire would have known her under, and stood up shakily. Harry was there to help her and she saw Draco visibly restrain himself from helping her. Satisfied she was all right, though, Scorpius had left.

"I merely took her here to talk to her." Victoire said, genuinely uncomprehending to what she had done wrong. Teddy looked at Victoire with a raised eyebrow, and Victoire sighed. Harry raised an eyebrow in the same way at Cassandra.

"No one will hate you if you tell the truth and what set you off, so that we can avoid that in future."

"Victoire came towards me and grabbed my wrist." Cassandra said reluctantly, looking apologetically at the other girl. "And she was a bit forceful and dragged me here."

Teddy rounded on Victoire angrily.

"I _told you_ not to touch her! I told you that she would react badly if people she doesn't know touch her! Why did you bring her here, Vicky?" Teddy asked.

"I just wanted to know something." Victoire said defensively.

"The answer, by the way," Cassandra said steadily, still with her Hogwarts mask on, "Is no. Not in any way, shape or form, never. It would have been obvious if you'd waited." She couldn't help but bite out.

"You _didn't_." Teddy whispered. "Oh, Vicky! You know that it's only you I love in _that_ way, and since Harry and Draco are thinking of adopting her, it would just be weird if I'd even had the thought. You should have _asked_ me, instead of disregarding my warnings."

After that, the day passed in perfect happiness, meeting Rose, Hugo, Molly, Lucy, Dominique, Louis, Roxanne and Fred. Of course, her initial fear at Dominique, two years younger than her, and looking almost exactly like her sister, was wiped away when the girl smiled widely at her and engaged her immediately in a conversation about how her black clothes could complement different colours apart from white. It felt like family, and laughing around the table with the Weasleys, she made up her mind that she would accept Draco and Harry's offer.

* * *

And she hadn't told them yet. Cassandra tied up the final part of her bun, and knew that if she came out of this alive, she would tell them all of her decision.

* * *

Saying goodbye was probably the hardest thing Cassandra had ever had to do in her life. She kissed Harry's cheek and was surprised to feel the strength in him when he hugged her to him, and for once she didn't flinch from the pressure. Instead, she kissed his cheek again, and then moved to hug Teddy. He whispered a quick "Please be okay," in her ear, and hugged her tightly. Finally, she hugged Scorpius and ruffled his hair. For once, he didn't try to rearrange it but left it as it was and hugged her tightly like his adopted brother had.

However, it was Draco's goodbye that had really tugged at Cassandra. He and Harry had looked at each other for a very long time, before Harry dragged him towards him and kissed him passionately and for a long time, his hands wrapped around Draco's shoulders and Draco's arms around Harry's waist. When they parted, Harry put his head on Draco's heart and was silent for a few minutes.

"Please come back, Dray." He whispered with heartbreaking intimacy. "I want to hear your heart beat again."

After that, with tears in his eyes, Draco moved to Teddy and hugged him with a strong, powerful hug. Teddy hugged back with equal ferocity and it was the second time that Cassandra had ever seen him close to crying.

"Come back, Father." He whispered ever so softly, and that word alone betrayed how deeply he was feeling. He couldn't lose another parent -that much was obvious.

It was Scorpius who cracked, though. He was crying already, and he jumped at Draco's neck, grabbing hold of it and wrapping his legs around Draco's waist.

"I love you Daddy."

"I do too, Scorp. So, so much. Never forget that I love you all." He looked at Harry and Teddy as he said that, and kissed Scorpius' head as he lowered him to the ground.

Cassandra was very aware that this could be the last time she ever saw them again.

* * *

The coordinates they had been given led them to a wide, empty field with woods looming ominously over the horizon. About five Aurors, including Mr. Weasley, stood near the entrance to the woods, and as Draco, leading Cassandra, marched closer, Cassandra could see their shock at seeing her.

"Don't you ever _dare_ say that Harry should be here, gentlemen. He was unwilling to leave his godson without a proper guardian and I am only here because my ward, Cassandra St. Claire, is the daughter of the man we are hunting and wishes to fight him herself."

One of the men raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure she won't help him?"

"Do you think that an abused child would help the person who abused her?" she asked bitingly, and the proud glance that Draco shot her told her that she had said that right thing. There were no complaints after that.

They moved in a triangular formation towards the entrance to the woods, where Cassandra could see another three Aurors working on a ritual. She recognised it from one of her father's books she had once read –a Dark Arts ritual drawing out any presence of Dark Arts in a person from a particular direction. In this case, the woods.

She could feel herself shaking as the three Aurors stepped slowly out of the ritual circle and glanced into the woods. Draco grabbed her hand and mouthed 'I love you' to her. It was the fact that Draco admitted it, which gave her courage when the flames erupted around them. She could see the tortured, dead souls writhing in the flames and grabbing to reach them. The sky darkened and the flames shone brighter and more threateningly around them. By then, all wands were drawn.

"I see what you have brought me." Said a very familiar voice above them. Their heads snapped up and observed a man wearing a black cloak hovering on a broomstick. He slowly lowered himself and Cassandra saw his eyes bore into hers.

"You have brought me my daughter." He chuckled, and Cassandra could hear his laughter at her mother's pain in her head again. "Well done. But what am I going to _do_ with you, my _darling_?" he asked, and Cassandra saw all the wands point towards him. "But I see you've brought company." He turned and swiveled around to look at all the Aurors. "Thank you for coming, but I _really_ don't think we'll need you _all_. But I'd love to keep this one." He looked at Draco. "You're standing rather close to my daughter." And her father waved his hand. The ground seemed to open underneath all the Aurors and she saw them reappear outside the circle of fire. They started firing spells, but the dead souls seemed to absorb them.

"It's another version of Fiendfyre, except that it's impervious to all spells." He chuckled deeply, and Cassandra wanted to scream all over again. "You see, when you did that ritual, _dear_ Aurors, you forget that it also makes the Dark Arts stronger again. That is why I can manipulate the ground. But you are no longer my concern." He laughed unsteadily, and that wavering laugh was all it took for Cassandra to stop feeling scared. When she had been younger, his laugh had been deep and dark and had terrified Cassandra with its steadiness. However, this laugh sounded rather unhinged and Cassandra lost all respect she had and replaced her fear with anger.

"You will not manipulate me again, Father!" she shouted. He looked at her in surprise, his eyebrows raised, and Cassandra felt the fear again but shoved it back.

"Will I not?" he asked conversationally. "_Crucio_!" he yelled, pointing his wand to Cassandra.

However, just as he shouted the curse, he did a complicated spell flick and the curse wavered, heading at blinding speed towards Draco, who collapsed on the ground screaming. Cassandra felt white-hot anger blind her.

"_Stop_!" she yelled, "_Petrificus Totalis_!"

"Simple spell." Her father dodged it easily, and seemed to increase his fury towards Draco. "Fight me properly, _Cass_. Isn't that what your mother called you? But, oh, isn't she _dead_ now?"

That was it. After that, Cassandra saw nothing but her father. She aimed spell after spell at him, getting angrier and angrier as none of them seemed to hit him. She remembered him firing spells at her as well, but through some hidden instinct, she dodged them as easily as he was. The ground grew hot and charred underneath their feet as they duelled, and the air crackled with electricity. Slowly his attention, which had been partly on her and on Draco, went to her, and some of his spells stopped hitting Draco, who was lying on the ground coughing up blood and holding a broken rib, or what looked like it. She definitely felt when he turned his complete attention onto her.

"_Darling_, come to your father. Isn't that what you _always_ wanted?" he asked, hissing slightly.

"I only every wanted to go to Mum! You _never_ held my love, _ever_. You only held my _fear_." And she threw all of her power into her next spell, one Harry had invented, threw it with all her anger, all her betrayal, and all of her _**yearning **_to have a_family _and saw it hit her father's foot. He stumbled and fell, his foot taking root in the ground and growing into a small tree. Soon, it started spreading slowly, methodically up his leg and across to his other one. Cursing, he tried to extricate himself from it, but Cassandra was the only one who knew the counter-curse. She walked towards him triumphantly.

"You see, darling _Daddy_, there's one thing I know how to do better than you do." She leant down and looked at his face. "I know how to feel, and I know how to love."

Suddenly she saw something in her father's eyes which reminded her of a time, a very long time ago, when she had heard laughter from his mouth which wasn't malicious, and she could see him throwing her in the air and catching her and her mother laughing, her arms wrapped around his waist. She saw that, and in a flash, had knelt by him and looked straight in his eyes.

"You can find peace, Dad, but you won't find it here." She saw tears in his eyes, and she felt tears in hers as well. "I _did_ love you once, and I know that you did as well." She kissed him on his forehead. "I need my peace now."

"Will you forgive me?" he asked hoarsely, and she could see the roots spreading up his body, wrapping around his legs. His wand was lying a few metres away, and she saw that the fire had burnt out. The Aurors were running towards Draco, and some towards her.

"Only if you forgive yourself, Dad." She murmured.

He coughed.

"Infuriating to the last." He looked up at her face, at her eyes. "Please."

"Then if it gives you your peace, yes." And the roots finally took over.

She stood up shakily, and walked away from her father. Her wand slipped from her fingers into her boot and the tears fell hard and fast. She mourned what she had not had, but she longed for what she could have. Her father had shaped who she was, and now it was time for the peace she had given him to take root.

And as her eyes turned to Draco, coughing blood but alive, she realised that other opportunities could bloom in different places.

She only had to let them grow.

* * *

_A/N: Thank you to those who actually read this! If you want an epilogue, please review and I can write it for you. Any spelling errors, please do tell me and I will fix them. Moondance will be updated this Saturday, thank you for sticking through my break! See you in Moondance!_

_hpjkrowling4ever_


	3. Our Secret

_A/N: Thank you for your review __**musicgeek923**__, here is the epilogue you asked for! I hope that it is to your satisfaction, of course I had to find someone perfect for Cassandra, but I didn't want it to be someone completely out of the world that I would have to invent a completely new character for, so I really, really hope that the person I've chosen is to your satisfaction. Please review me for your views!_

**Title:** Revenge

**Author:** hpjkrowling4ever

Epilogue

_**WEDDING OF HARRY AND DRACO'S DAUGHTER TO BE BIG EVENT OF THE YEAR!**_

Scorpius chuckled at the headline of _Witch Weekly_, while, beside him, Rose rolled her eyes at her boyfriend. She knew that he enjoyed _Witch Weekly _much more than it was sensible for a boy to.

Scorpius, though, was thinking that it was about time that Cass got married, and it was to someone of _her_ choice, though a very unlikely one indeed. He remembered, when, at twenty, Cassandra had told them news, which would eventually lead to her engagement at twenty-five, five years after her announcement.

* * *

"Harry, Draco?" Cass entered the living room timidly, making Scorpius and Teddy glance at each other over their chess game. It had been four years since Cass had acted this timidly, when the abuse was still fresh in her mind. She was twenty now, what could be making her act this way?

Draco raised an eyebrow and Harry sat up from where he was dozing on his husband's lap. Since their announcement in the _Daily Prophet_, now completely run by Ginny, Harry had moved into the Manor completely and the wards around the ancient house now included wards warding off any owls carrying letters of malicious intent towards Harry or Draco.

Scorpius chuckled as he remembered the outrage at the announcement that Harry and Draco were already married, and that they had adopted two children, and that they were in the process of adopting a third. Cass' announcement to them after she and Draco had been let out of St. Mungo's hand prompted a pre-Christmas Weasley party; Harry and Molly had been so delighted. However, the public outcry had been that Harry had been corrupted, but after a special interview with Cass, Teddy and himself, Scorpius had to admit that the public and the tabloids had been much more understanding and willing to view their relationship with tolerance. And of course, all _Witch Weekly_ moaned about was the lost of the two most eligible bachelors, and all _Wizards and Wizards_ could talk about was how perfect Harry and Draco were.

As he looked at Cass now, though, he wondered what could be bothering her. He grinned at her, and she tilted her head to the side, asking Teddy and him to remain in the room.

"What's up, Cass?" Scorpius asked, relishing that he could now call her Cass. It had been an enormous honour, knowing that the only other person who had previously done so was her mother. Being ranked in trust with Cass' mother was the highest compliment she had given her new family.

"I have something important to say," she mumbled, looking deadly scared and deadly serious at the same time.

"Enunciate, darling, or else we can't understand you," said Draco, and Scorpius knew that he was worried. "And sit down, stop skulking around like Teds."

"Hey!" Teddy said, standing up and pulling a chair over for Cass. "That's rude, Draco!"

Cass sat down on the chair and twiddled with her fingers for a while. They could all tell that she was terrified, and they knew not to touch her in moments like this. Occasionally, she still flinched at touches given at inopportune times. She then pulled her navy blue and coral jacket tighter around her and took a deep breath.

"I'm going out with someone." She said clearly, taking Draco's advice.

Scorpius saw Harry raise his eyebrows and look at Draco. There was obviously more to come.

"Who is the lucky person?" Teddy asked.

Cass breathed in and out slowly and strongly.

"Dominique." She whispered so softly that Scorpius had to lean forwards to hear her. When he did hear what she said, he reared back in shock and surprise. Not that she was lesbian that much had been obvious from the start now that Scorpius accorded it some thought. She had been abused by a man, her father, and had seen his marriage with a woman disintegrate around her. She would have no inclination towards the other sex except in brotherly, daughterly or cousin-related love.

But that she had chosen what was essentially her _cousin_ –now that shocked him. She and Dominique had never obviously been in a relationship, but they had been incredibly close. Thinking about Dominique, she was stunning, and had been fickle in her relationships with boys. It would make sense that she was lesbian or bisexual. Dominique was also, despite her obsession with looks, a deeply kind and caring person who only cared for those she loved and held close and couldn't care less for those she had no interest in.

"Why Nicki?" Teddy asked, scratching his head. "I mean, she's essentially your cousin, Cass. It's a bit too incestuous for my liking."

"I knew it!" she cried out, standing up. "I knew you'd say that, that was why I was worried about telling you. But I love Domi." She murmured, and she said the nickname with a caress to it, lingering on the word and her anger dying momentarily from her eyes. Even Scorpius, who was never one to pick up on heavily romantic hints, saw this one glaring at him in the face. "I love her, and you can't say anything about it. And I'm _not_ related to her, not in any way at all. She was a cousin at first, but then it escalated. And the famous Muggle scientist Einstein married his cousin, and they _were_ related." She looked desperately at them all. "Please, I love her so much and I may even marry her. Please don't make me feel torn in this decision."

Immediately, Draco was standing and was hugging her tightly, and soon Harry joined her. Teddy chuckled deeply and marched over to his and Scorpius' adopted sister.

"You chicken, Cass. Why'd you think we'd ever leave you to make that decision? We were surprised, that's all." Teddy joined the group hug. "We'd never abandon you. That's just not how family works."

Naturally, Scorpius was the last to join and hugged her with his family, leaning his head on her shoulder and his hands wrapped around Teddy's waist, who was on her other side.

"Never think that's how we work, sweetheart." Harry said. "We don't."

* * *

Scorpius mused how, five years later, six months after their engagement in the same year, they were planning a hectic November wedding. Of course, Molly, Fleur, Victoire and Dominique were involved in the motifs and the dresses and everything else, Ginny in charge of the publicity it was receiving and the rest of the Weasleys trying to hang on in the midst of the confusion.

Through all that, he and Teddy had moved on in their own relationships. He had moved into a flat with Rose, both of them working as assistants in St. Mungo's. Teddy worked as a trainee Auror and was completely smitten with Victoire, setting up her own fashion business, but no headway had been made into that relationship.

"Well, Rose, it looks like there'll be more reporters there than we thought, if _Witch Weekly_ is reporting on it."

"I think we'll cope." Rose smirked. "After all, don't we always?"

* * *

"I, Cassandra St. Claire, take thee, Dominique Weasley, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forwards, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part."

Cassandra could not believe that this day was finally hers. Only Domi held her attention, with her stunning silvery blonde hair flowing majestically down her shoulders, with flowers interwoven into single strands of her hair. Her eyes sparkled with unshed tears, and her hand gripped Cassandra's tightly. The vows were the traditional Muggle ones, in deference to Cassandra's heritage through her dead mother.

However, after the traditional vows, Domi put up her hand, surprising the officiator for the ceremony, Professor McGonagall.

"I'm sorry to be interrupting my own wedding." She looked at Cassandra as she said it, and Cassandra gave a watery laugh, and hearing chuckles from the pews. "But I don't think that these vows allow me to tell you exactly how much I love you, Cass." She stepped closer to Cassandra and her delicate hands gripped the sides of her face. "You are my light, my love, my heart, and you mean everything to me. Nothing I can say tells you, or anyone, how much you mean to me. Someone one said that true love is selfless, that it's a sacrifice. If it is, then it's the best, the most incredible sacrifice I've ever had to take, because _I love you_, and I mean it so completely that it would be silly to say otherwise." She leant forwards, and said, so that only Cassandra could hear, "You are perfect."

And as Professor McGonagall pronounced them married, and she wound her arms around Domi's waist and kissed her passionately, she felt it, and she knew that, for once, she looked it.

And she hoped that with Domi, she would look it forevermore.

**The End**

* * *

_A/N: Please tell me what you think of the epilogue! I really enjoyed writing this, and hope I did it justice. Thank you for reading all of it to those who did! If you want any continuation of this, do tell me. _


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